A U.S. trade official stressed Mexico's need to address "serious concerns" from the United States of its energy measures, which were raised during consultations under a regional trade pact, the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office said on Thursday.

Deputy Trade Representative Jayme White, who met with his Mexican counterpart Alejandro Encinas in Mexico on Wednesday, urged Mexico to address its energy measures which the U.S. says unfairly discriminate against its companies, the USTR said in a statement.

The U.S. and Canada demanded dispute settlement talks with Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement over Mexico's energy policy in July 2022. The U.S. is planning to escalate the dispute, Reuters exclusively reported earlier this month.

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The flags of the United States and Mexico adorn the Paso del Norte International Bridge, situated between El Paso in the U.S. and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, on Dec. 28, 2016. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo, REUTERS)

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White also expressed concerns over the "recent surge" in U.S. imports of certain steel and aluminum products from Mexico, the USTR said, and the "lack of transparency" regarding their country of origin.

White and Encinas additionally discussed ongoing USMCA consultations regarding Mexico's enforcement of fisheries-related environmental laws, the USTR said.

The U.S. alleges Mexico has not done enough to protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise and the trafficking of the totoaba fish.